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Apple To Suspend iTunes Store Support For 'Obsolete' First-Gen Apple TV (arstechnica.com)
The original Apple TV, first introduced in 2007, will no longer be able to connect to the iTunes Store due to new security changes to be implemented by Apple. The news comes from a support document, which also mentions that PCs running Windows XP or Windows Vista will lose access to the most recent version of iTunes. Ars Technica reports: According to the document, the "obsolete" original Apple TV won't be updated in the future to support access to the iTunes Store. After May 25, users will only be able to access iTunes on second-generation Apple TVs and newer streaming devices. The same security changes affecting the first-gen Apple TV will also affect Windows XP and Vista machines. Users on such devices can still run previous versions of iTunes, so they should still be able to play their music library without problems. However, affected users won't be able to make new iTunes purchases or re-download previous purchases. Only machines running Windows 7 or later after May 25 will have full access to iTunes, including the ability to make new purchases and re-download older purchases.
The garden's walls have been moved. If you wish to remain in the garden, please pay another entrance fee.
So they are no longer supporting something that is now 11 years old, and didn't really sell that well in comparison to the numbers they are shifting of the newer models which are far more capable and based on standard (at least, for Apple) hardware that is a close relation to the hundreds of millions of phones and tablets they've also sold. Should this really be a surprise? I'm surprised they were still supporting it.
What other OEM set top box has been supported that long? Is anything even close?
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
What about my 160GB 6th Gen iPod.
That's from 2008. If they shut that off they no hardware to replace it
While I love to bitch about corporate shenanigans I cannot in good conscience keep bitching about people screwed by MS or Apple.
You knew they were abusive when you entered the relationship, you were warned repeatedly, your friends family and everyone tried to tell you your with an abusive a-hole and you worshiped them and stayed with them against all logic and common sense.
Reap what you sow
Making things artificially obsolete perfectly good software and hardware is what Apple does best. I hope Apple loses the slowing down your iPhone lawsuit and is forced to support old hardware and software.
captcha:dropper (of support)
What will I do with my $4000 AudioQuest component cables now?
All the best apps are integrated into that thing called a "Smart TV"! And unlike some 3rd party hardware device, it goes where your TV goes!
As is not news, or should not be, if you outsource your IT to another company, you are at their mercy. Storing your data (music, movies, business data, whatever) somewhere else makes you depend on whomever owns "somewhere else". And yes, putting your personal music in "the cloud" counts as outsourcing your IT. This isn't necessarily bad as the benefits may outweigh the costs, but be sure to go in with open eyes, especially if the initial "cost" appears to be zero and even more so if you don't have a written contract that spells out how the deal can change over time.
Apple never used to force obsolescence.
They do now, and it's constantly pissing me off.
But it also gives me good incentive to switch things to linux and other open alternatives.
This recent article claims the the Apple TV 1,2,3 and 4 all run Kodi:
https://www.kodiinfopark.com/i...
In fact, it claims:
"Apple TV 1 works extremely well with Kodi compared to other generation Apple TV because of the High storage capacity of Apple TV 1."
Unfortunately, the upgrade is rather complex -- you need to install the Apple Xcode behemoth ;-(
If you look at pictures of it you'll see the real reason they're killing it: it still does analog out, and they're killing the analog hole. This is all about ensuring the DRM of the Apple Walled Garden, nothing else.
With all their billions, how hard would it have been to continue to allow access to content, even in a limited fashion, in the interests of improving customer confidence?
An Apple TV is more like a DVD player than an iPad. I suspect most people retain their DVD players until they either die or won't connect to their new TV.
This is a perfect example of why right-to-repair legislation is so important.
Corporations should be required to allow users to install their own operating system on a device the USER OWNS.
"Installing 3rd party software on this device voids the warranty" is perfectly acceptable to me.
I don't expect my toaster's manufacturer to fix it if I modify it either.
It's absurd that we've gotten to this point with technology.
Several years ago, I purchased an episode of a TV show on my XBox, and also purchased a movie on iTunes. Neither of them was transferable to any other devices that I own. Apple only works with Apple and Microsoft only works with Microsoft. I quickly made the decision to no longer purchase a) garden/walled hardware or software devices, and b) digital media that is completely tied down by DRM. My original reason was to avoid having movies/TV that can't be played on devices outside their respective "garden".
However, I never predicted shit like this coming: "Hey, buddy, we've decided to discontinue your hardware. If you'd like to continue using your digital media, you'll HAVE to purchase a new device from us." HOW FUCKING CONVENIENT for Apple.
So, when do they start doing this with TVs, washing machines, automobiles, etc?
or any other unethical corporation ...
To be fair with what the troll above you said, it has analog out. I'm an Electrician/Low Voltage Tech, I've installed a lot of TV's in my time. Most of the new ones, and damn sure higher end ones do not support analog functions. You will be lucky to find a TV with a tuner in it anymore. And lets face it anybody shelling out the money for an Apple TV or actually using the app store to purchase shit, is not going to be worried about buying a better model for more and better resolutions. Plus they could do for a new TV to have installed by some schmuck like me to keep the monies flowing.
What other OEM set top box has been supported that long? Is anything even close?
Good point. The second generation of Roku streaming players are going on 6.5 years. I got the Roku 2 XS in August 2011, and it's still going strong (running ver 8.0.0 of their firmware last updated in November).
But the Roku 1 has been more or less disabled for a year or two. But Netflix still has not dropped support for the ancient release of their app that's still available for it. At least last I knew before I stopped using that Roku last fall.
It's not really a surprise. Like you say, it's surprising they didn't drop it sooner.
No, but then most OEM set top boxes are leased, so users get a "free" upgrade over the years. The real question to me is what these "security changes" are that make the boxes obsolete because that sounds like bullshit. If they want to obsolete these boxes, then the consumer friendly thing to do would be offer a trade-in program.
I won't go as far as saying just dropping further updates is a shitty thing to do, but it's not really a nice thing to do. Thankfully one can install Kodi on the box, so there's little reason to worry too much about it. *shrug* The absurdity is the hardware is perfectly fine to actual still decode 720p video. The major stumbling block would seem to be it's an x86 CPU and an nVidia GPU vs all later gens being Apple ARM and Apple PowerVR, so I can see why they'd wish to drop the support. That's especially true since they're apparently using an old fork of OS X, and I imagine the feature creep has made using a modern version unworkable in the 256MB RAM.
All of that amounts me to thinking, they should do a proper iOS port to x86 (wasn't Apple supposedly trying to merge OS X and iOS at some point?) and work towards selective trimming the OS to allow for smaller, embedded systems. Whether that means actually supporting 1st Gen Apple TV or not, it'd be a good thing internally since it's unclear if ARM is really the future.
Washing machines it's going to be hard. If they try, after-market "repair" services will pop up just like that. Won't even need to get into circumvention/DMCA issues. Just rip out the original electronics and put in a new set for 70% of the cost of paying the original manufacturer. Can't really do that with media delivery, but with durable goods it's cake.
Already happens with things like old elevators and cranes and HVAC and such where the original manufacturer folds and a-guy-in-his-garage companies fill in the void to service and refurbish old equipment with newer electronics.
Not perfect but better than apple's rubbish.
Made the mistake of buying the 2nd and 3rd gen. When apple ditches those, they'll be worthless.
At least the 1st gen could be repurposed.
An 11 year old product is somehow not really obsolete when you put quotes around it.
Fantastic, asshole editors.
And rips you off by making thinks not work.
My ISP Spectrum charges me for 300 down but my modem can do no more than 100 ripping me off.
I am fucking tired of it all.
I hope Trump does cause a nuclear holocaust with the North Koreans we deserve it if this shit is OK.
http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/02/time-warner-cable-lawsuit-says-twc-lied-about-internet-speed.html
Continues to this very minute.
What other OEM set top box has been supported that long? Is anything even close?
Not exactly a set top box, but would XBox 360 and PS3 count? No sign of EOL there yet.
The real question to me is what these "security changes" are that make the boxes obsolete because that sounds like bullshit.
Probably TLS 1.0.
TLS 1.1 was defined in April 2006 vs 1st Gen Apple TV released in Sept 2006, so I can see their initial release not supporting it. TLS 1.2 was defined in August 2008, so again, I can see them taking a while to release an update. A further update to the spec happened in March 2011 to address POODLE attacks in the like. Again, I can see them taking a while to implement an update. Point is, all of the above is quite doable on the hardware.
Hell, the 3DS at least on paper supports TLS 1.2 although the recent evidence with Github and Homebrew on the 3DS implies otherwise. Regardless, it's as trivial as using libcurl if one wants the functionality on basically any platform. So, the issue isn't even the difficult task of implementation. It's the relatively trivial task of incorporating an appropriate library. Odds are good Apple already has their own built-in library and, again, they could use that.
No, Apple has chosen to not put the effort in for 6+ years since the latest TLS 1.2 RFC because they just don't care. Honestly, they could come up with 101 other excuses by trivially breaking the store without pulling out that excuse. More generally, if it really is the case that they've waited 6+ years and not bothered to protect their users, they're really doing a shit job. They should have obsoleted the device 6 years ago with a big warning on the risks. Then people could have switched to Kodi or the like with adequate security.
comcast still has DCT 2000 in use well 1.5-2 hours of guide data and slow VOD menus = $10 /mo for the cons at concast.
If it has no tuner, it's a glorified monitor, not a TV. Sucks for people who don't want to bend over and be butt-farked for $200/mo for cable when over-the-air TV is frrrrreeee!
apple does not make TVs, washing machines or automobiles. But good luck with any other apple products you have bought.
Dont try and confuse this with repair.
These devices are in no way failed, they are having their operational status revoked. By Apple. For their own advantage.
BTW, Stop making examples up. I regularly source Toshiba parts older than 3 years - and usually no problems with parts older than 10 years.
You would also have the options of going gray-market, or finding a second hard part.
Want to try that here?
How do you think Apple would react to a request to release the required encryption keys to allow 3rd party support of this device to continue?
No, there is a damn good reason Apple is fighting tooth and nail to block right-to-repair, Loves the DMCA, etc.
Once they have people on the hook, they expect them to keep paying, or suffer the consequences. It is device based Catholicism.
And no, your examples of software cost do NOT apply. The only reason they need to do additional work is because they wish to add new features
to OTHER, NEWER products - there is no direct costing being created by the existing devices - so it is in no way similar to the cost of keeping
a physical inventory of parts.
The issue is that it's something that you bought, which is yours, and Apple is turning it off. They're not ceasing support, they're prohibiting it from connecting to iTunes. Apple is deliberately all but bricking your device. That doesn't cause rage and anger?
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Has it really been supported the past years? Just because something still works it doesn't mean it is still supported by the manufacturer.
According to wikipedia:
> On September 9, 2015, Apple officially classified the first generation Apple TV as being obsolete/vintage [..]
So support was ended over 2 years ago. And now they are changing their walled garden even more making the device which was still usable for that period to a paperweight.
What other OEM set top box has been supported that long? Is anything even close?
Nothing else is even close. Every other device attached to my TV except for the Bluray player is far older than that. Please stop applying the retarded mobile trend to every damn appliance in the house.
As someone who repairs apple devices and has interacted with their engineering staff in the past, "security" is the standard bullshit apple excuse for fucking their customers in any way they can via software update or their forced cloud shit.
The fuckers also won't build servers or rent a CDN and take the load off the ISPs here in australia, because then they'd have significant infrastructure presence and would likely be unable to pull these bullshit transfer pricing tricks to offshore profits without paying any tax.
Also the standard product lifecycle with hardware from them is 7 years to "vintage" and then obsoleted at 10, apple is now using the cloud tie in to terminate products and force you to replace them.
Call applecare and tell them what you think of all this if you care.
Don't know what weird country you live in, but in the UK all TVs have Freeview (OTA digital) tuners and I've never seen one without analogue inputs, even high end ones.
You write this as if it's Apple that cares if you use the analog output to store movies. They don't own the content. If anyone's pushing for this, it's the movie producers who are demanding more concrete guarantees that someone can't rent a movie from Apple and immediately upload the torrent to the Pirate Bay, or keep a copy around for unlimited re-watches. Apple is going along with it because it lets them license more content at lower cost, which makes 99.99% of their consumer base happy.
With washers, it may be another key part besides the software/electronics.
My Kenmore front loader from 2004 had a warranty replacement on its control board and the technician said the only part I had to worry about was the drum bearing. He said if those quit under the initial warranty, they just replace the entire unit because the bearing itself is too expensive and there's no supply of them. Even with an extended warranty, they red tag the unit and only offer a pro-rated refund towards a new washer.
On the good side, I have heard from a boating forum I read that there is a small company that actually will refurbish analog and control boards for some fridges and washer/dryers. You have to open the device up, remove the board and mail it to them to have this done. The boat folks like it because in some models the washer/dryer and fridge are basically stuck. Due to some dumb engineering decisions that equipment is too big to remove and replacements require creating an opening in a bulkhead to bring in replacements.
Have you even used a gen 1 apple TV? Most everything it can do, it can do with or without the iTunes store.
Or cell phone providers not supporting 2g networks
Or Microsoft deprecating XP.
Rapid progress has costs in obsolescence, and connected devices sometimes cannot evolve as fast as security needs. Apple is part of the culture, sure, but they generally provide superior support on this issue to competitors. Most of the bitching in this thread is âoeboo Appleâ, not an actual reasoned critique.
Who cares about the analog hole? I can rip the DRM right out of their content on an old PC with an out of date copy of iTunes and do it regularly. I'm not fucking around with some stupid analog out on an 11 year old device I replaced 2 generations ago.
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
So, when do they start doing this with TVs, washing machines, automobiles, etc?
Washing machines, never. TVs, also probably never, because we are used to connecting other devices to our TVs. But automobiles will move from being owned to being provided as a service, because people won't be able to afford autonomous vehicles. For the immediate future, the added price tag of the hardware will be enough to keep their ownership out of the hands of the masses.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
But this hardware is being sold like an "appliance" and it isn't failing as an appliance - it's being effectively remotely disabled.
Lots of appliances have a lifespan of 10-15 years of effective use. My last hot water tank for example lasted 12 years before failing and that is typical for that and many other appliances. Not really so different in this case.
There are DVD players still going strong after 20 years of use.
The maker of that DVD player isn't being asked to support it after 20 years either. Apples to grapefruits my friend.
And TVs that are still going strong after 40 years!
Are those TVs being actively supported by the manufacturer? No they are not.
Roku or Kodi or Firesticks are less expensive in every way. Also more supported.
I don't hate Apple. Apple makes some great stuff, if you don't mind paying 4X as much as similar tech from competitors.
But I see no good reason to use Apple TV.
Maybe I'm missing something?
But automobiles will move from being owned to being provided as a service, because people won't be able to afford autonomous vehicles. For the immediate future, the added price tag of the hardware will be enough to keep their ownership out of the hands of the masses.
Renting is more profitable. Auto companies will try forcing rental anytime they have the leverage to force it. They inflate the cost of replacement parts and restrict repair tools to their dealers which also inflate labor costs to increase the cost of ownership vs leasing. That'll last right up until a maker of autonomous cars gets into financial trouble and sells to attract more customers. If that works, the rest will follow suit, but they'll certainly collude to delay that as long as possible if they can.
You're right, but if a mechanical part breaks, that's one thing. If the control board breaks it can be refurbished. If the control board breaks because it came with a vendor-installed self-destruct timer...you're in the latter case and not the former.
Renting is more profitable. Auto companies will try forcing rental anytime they have the leverage to force it. They inflate the cost of replacement parts and restrict repair tools to their dealers which also inflate labor costs to increase the cost of ownership vs leasing.
And the corollary here is that EVs require much less maintenance, so they're going to have to have some other revenue-generation model anyway.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I had an old Apple TV 1 in my closet.
I saw that Kodi/OSMC would run on it. So I resurrected it.
But it was slow.
Installed Kodi/OSMC on RPI3. Much faster.
Apple TV 1 went to goodwill. WIth Kodi installed. Good luck to the new owner.
Of course I was never a real Apple TV customer. I ran Linux and Freevo within a few days of purchase a decade ago.
Apple makes no guarantee that you will be able to download licensed material from iTunes in perpetuity, it is your responsibility to download and maintain a backup of everything you paid for a license to view/listen to. The change Apple is making only prevents you from being able to access the store. You will still be able to play content that you downloaded locally, either to the device or to a computer and streamed in-house. This is no different than websites blocking older versions of browsers from accessing them. If you downloaded a copy of the site from year's past, you can still view those downloaded copies.
Could enough users united and sue them for breaking their working devices ?